Will decide after 2 yrs whether to continue in office: Gogoi

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who has declared that the current assembly elections as his last, will decide whether to continue in office after two years if he is elected again.

"After two years, I will take a decision on how I will continue in the party. I will decide if I will remain as a CM for the next five years or not, " he said asserting that he will win a fourth consecutive term.

Accordingly, I will take my next step," Gogoi told PTI in an interview.

The 80-year old politician had already announced that this Assembly election will be his last participation in electoral democracy.

"I will not fight the next election. Congress has to fight without me," he said. Gogoi, however, did not specify whom the party or he is nurturing to take the baton from his hand.

"We do not nurture anyone. Many leaders are there after me. Leaders emerge out of masses," he added.

Asked for a few names, the Chief Minister said "there are many capable leaders -- Anjan Dutta, Paban Singh Ghatowar, Bhubaneswar Kalita, Ripun Bora, Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain. Probably, my successor will be from these leaders."  Though he did not elaborate, Gogoi appreciated the way former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu had handed over the post to his trusted Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the middle of a term so that the latter could prepare the ground.

Asked about his long innings in politics, the senior Congress leader said "politics has changed over the years.

Earlier, there was commitment among people, now it is not there. Even the society has changed. Earlier people used to talk in confidence. Now, nobody talks anything in confidence.

"Dissidence was there earlier also but nobody joined other parties, " he said.